Rendezvous with Grandeur
Event: IRA Fulton Fellow Dinner
Venue: University Club
Time: 5pm-8pm
Formal at its best - so much contrary to the person I am, capable of making me feel uncomfortable and pained for putting up all evening. But on second thought every moment of this refine evening was exclusive and enjoyable.
Late like always, we got to the place, like the normal dash to the 915am class, with the fear of gates being closed. A formal lake blue shirt and a black pant; a formal black shirt and a skirt initially fussed about and assumed over-dressed, turned out perfect. The initial plan was to sit in a corner of a room, eat and get back home for the assignment. It did not work out the way we intended it to. At the entrance we were asked to sit in the “table 1” assigned to us which comprised of three professors (one Indian) and five other “fellows” from different departments.
1. High ceiling with mural paintings.
2. Abstract wall hangings and paintings which seemed “high funda” as we did not know what it was.
3. The ice tea with zero sugar and an abysmal taste that we drank assuming it was a mark of high class.
4. An infinitely bad tasting salad, an exquisite American version of semiya upma, awesome deserts, ornately carved silverware.
5. Crisp introductions and speeches by faculty and students punctuated by subtle wise cracks.( not to forget Dr. Mahajan’s accented speech)
6. Jessica’s (Fulton fellow) admirable energy and histrionics.
If the above are considered elements of closed set, say “magnificent and memorable”, the evening was a linear combination of the elements in this set with the coefficients maximized.
There was predominantly one genre of people- eccentrically intelligent with profound knowledge and expertise in their area of research. The intellectually stimulating conversations about hydrogen cells, optimization problems and issues, game theory, quality management and control, poker and life, waste energy renewal, movement of electron holes, origin of research interests of different people, life in Arizona and impact of the advent of air-conditioned . … It was all memorable.
The evening on the whole was very special in a unique way- from fussing about the outfit to a desperate attempt when back home to take snaps individually and together.
Venue: University Club
Time: 5pm-8pm
Formal at its best - so much contrary to the person I am, capable of making me feel uncomfortable and pained for putting up all evening. But on second thought every moment of this refine evening was exclusive and enjoyable.
Late like always, we got to the place, like the normal dash to the 915am class, with the fear of gates being closed. A formal lake blue shirt and a black pant; a formal black shirt and a skirt initially fussed about and assumed over-dressed, turned out perfect. The initial plan was to sit in a corner of a room, eat and get back home for the assignment. It did not work out the way we intended it to. At the entrance we were asked to sit in the “table 1” assigned to us which comprised of three professors (one Indian) and five other “fellows” from different departments.
1. High ceiling with mural paintings.
2. Abstract wall hangings and paintings which seemed “high funda” as we did not know what it was.
3. The ice tea with zero sugar and an abysmal taste that we drank assuming it was a mark of high class.
4. An infinitely bad tasting salad, an exquisite American version of semiya upma, awesome deserts, ornately carved silverware.
5. Crisp introductions and speeches by faculty and students punctuated by subtle wise cracks.( not to forget Dr. Mahajan’s accented speech)
6. Jessica’s (Fulton fellow) admirable energy and histrionics.
If the above are considered elements of closed set, say “magnificent and memorable”, the evening was a linear combination of the elements in this set with the coefficients maximized.
There was predominantly one genre of people- eccentrically intelligent with profound knowledge and expertise in their area of research. The intellectually stimulating conversations about hydrogen cells, optimization problems and issues, game theory, quality management and control, poker and life, waste energy renewal, movement of electron holes, origin of research interests of different people, life in Arizona and impact of the advent of air-conditioned . … It was all memorable.
The evening on the whole was very special in a unique way- from fussing about the outfit to a desperate attempt when back home to take snaps individually and together.
posted by nymphetamine | 1:53 PM
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